Last updated: October 6, 2026
This policy explains what information Reading Instead collects when you visit readinginstead.com, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have.
Who we are
Reading Instead (readinginstead.com) is an independent publication based in India. In this policy, “we,” “us” and “our” mean Reading Instead, the publisher of this site and the party responsible for your information. For anything to do with your personal information, email contact@readinginstead.com.
Information we collect
Information you give us
- Newsletter: your email address, when you subscribe.
- Comments: the name, email address and website you enter, your comment, and your IP address and browser details, which help us detect spam. Your name, website and comment appear publicly. Your email address never does.
- Contact form and email: your name, your email address and whatever you write to us.
Information collected automatically
When you visit, we and our partners collect some technical information using cookies and similar technologies:
- your IP address
- your browser and device type
- the pages you view
- how you arrived at the site
- your approximate location (city or region, never your precise location)
How we use it
- To run the site and keep it secure
- To send the newsletter you signed up for
- To publish and moderate comments
- To reply when you contact us
- To understand, in aggregate, which articles readers find useful
- To show advertising, which pays for the site
- To earn commissions when you buy a book through our affiliate links
- To meet our legal obligations
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device. This site uses:
- Essential cookies that make the site work, such as remembering your privacy choices and, if you ask, your details for the comment form
- Analytics cookies from Google Analytics
- Advertising cookies from Google and its partners
- Affiliate cookies, set by retailers when you click a link to their store
You can control cookies through the privacy settings described under “Your choices” and in your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how the site works.
Advertising
We use Google AdSense to show ads on this site. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this site and to other websites. Google’s advertising cookies let Google and its partners show you ads based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalized advertising from Google in Google’s Ad Settings.
- You can opt out of other vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at aboutads.info, through the Network Advertising Initiative, or, in Europe, at Your Online Choices.
- To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
Opting out doesn’t remove ads. The ads you see just won’t be based on your browsing. If we add advertising partners in the future, we’ll list them in this section.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used: which pages are read, how long visits last, which devices and browsers people use, and roughly where visitors are. We see this as aggregated reports that don’t identify you. You can stop Google Analytics from collecting your visits with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Affiliate links
Some links on this site are affiliate links to retailers, including Amazon and Bookshop.org. When you click one, the retailer may set a cookie so it can credit us if you buy something. Retailers never give us your name, address or payment details. We see only which products earned a commission.
Your purchase is covered by the retailer’s own policy: see the Amazon.com Privacy Notice and Bookshop.org’s Privacy Notice. There’s more in our Affiliate Disclosure.
Newsletter
Our newsletter runs on beehiiv, which stores your email address and sends the newsletter on our behalf. beehiiv records whether emails are opened and which links are clicked, which tells us what readers find useful. Every email includes an unsubscribe link. See beehiiv’s Privacy Policy.
Comments
Comments may be checked by an automated spam-detection service. If you use Gravatar, a coded version of your email address (called a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service to show your profile picture next to your comment. See Gravatar’s privacy policy. If you choose to save your details when commenting, a cookie remembers your name, email address and website for up to a year.
Who we share information with
We don’t sell your personal information for money. We share it only:
- with service providers that run parts of the site for us, such as web hosting, newsletter delivery, analytics and spam filtering, who may use it only to provide their service to us
- with advertising and affiliate partners, through cookies, as described above
- when the law requires it, or to protect the rights, safety or property of Reading Instead, our readers or others
- with a new owner, if Reading Instead is ever sold or transferred, who would have to honor this policy
Some US state laws count advertising cookies as a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information even when no money changes hands. You can opt out as described under “Your choices.”
Where your information is processed
Reading Instead is published from India. Our service providers, including Google and beehiiv, process information in the United States and other countries. Where the law requires it, these transfers are protected by recognized safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
How long we keep it
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe
- Comments: for as long as the comment stays published
- Messages: for as long as we need them to deal with your message and keep a record of it
- Analytics: Google Analytics keeps visit-level data for no more than 14 months
Your choices
- Privacy settings. If you’re in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies. You can change your choice at any time through the privacy settings link on the site.
- Opting out of “sale” or “sharing.” Where US state law requires it, a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available on the site. You can also email us.
- Your browser. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
- Do Not Track. There’s no agreed standard for Do Not Track signals, so this site doesn’t respond to them. Third parties such as Google may collect information about your activity over time and across different websites.
- The newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time from any email.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you, and give you a copy
- correct or complete it
- delete it
- stop or limit how we use it, or withdraw consent you’ve given
To make a request, email contact@readinginstead.com. We may need to confirm your identity first, and we’ll respond within 30 days. We won’t treat you differently for exercising your rights.
United States. Residents of California and other US states with consumer privacy laws also have the right to opt out of targeted advertising and of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information, and to appeal if we decline a request.
Canada. You can access and correct the personal information we hold about you and withdraw your consent, subject to legal limits. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland. We rely on:
- your consent, for advertising and analytics cookies and for the newsletter
- our legitimate interests, to run and secure the site, moderate comments and reply to messages
- legal obligations, where they apply
You can also object to processing based on our legitimate interests, ask to receive your data in a portable format, and complain to your local data protection authority.
India. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you can:
- ask for a summary of the personal data we process about you
- have it corrected, completed, updated or erased
- withdraw consent
- nominate someone to exercise your rights on your behalf
- have your grievances addressed
Grievance Officer
You can reach our Grievance Officer at contact@readinginstead.com. Complaints about your personal information, or about content on this site, will be acknowledged and resolved within the time limits set by applicable law.
Children
Reading Instead is written for adult readers. Our children’s book lists are written for the parents, teachers and librarians choosing books for children. The site isn’t directed at children under 13. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13, or under 16 where local law sets that age. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we’ll delete it.
Security
This site uses HTTPS, and we take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold. No website or internet transmission is completely secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security.
Other websites
This site links to other websites, including retailers. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy doesn’t cover them.
Changes to this policy
We’ll update this policy when our practices change, and the date at the top will always show when it last changed. If we make a significant change, we’ll note it on the site.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your information: contact@readinginstead.com.